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...tions are not in the business of printing inaccuracies. If articles are consta...

... writing a release is deciding not what you want to write about, but what your target audience wants to read. A call to your local editor will tell you everything you need to know concerning the kinds of stories people are interested in, preferred story length, and even what font you should use. (That last point is no joke; I once received a call requesting all releases be printed in Arial type, as opposed to Times; supposedly, it's easier to scan and therefore gets better play.) Anyone in public relations worth his or her salt will develop good relationships with editors. By stressing the importance of patience, high-quality subject matter, and good editorial relationships, your public relations efforts should be miles ahead of most of your competitors. Rob Keane can be reached at ... rated yet. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND SELLING: HOW TO BE A MODEST SELF-PROMOTER by Rob Keane Articles, not advertisements. This is the first rule I learned in journalism school. Eight years later, I made the move to public relations, where I learned that it's still good advice. If it seems to be a confusing concept, it's easy to see why. When someone hires a firm to write press releases in the hope of increasing business, many clients expect flowery, horn-blowing praise with every sentence, ending in double exclamation points. As many view it, press releases are simply ads without graphics that are placed in the paper for free. There's just one problem: Press releases created with this philosophy don't make it to the media; they make it into the wastebasket. Even though the ...

... the industry, as a PR advisory board member. He is now president of his own consulting advertising agency. I believe an agent should have a marketing plan, an advertising plan, and a public-relations plan which addresses 12 months at a time, ' Lawrence asserts. He discusses his 10 tips for maximizing PR opportunities. They are: 1. Be an information resource for the news media. Print and broadcast business reporters are always looking for a good information source. Whom do they call? The people they know. Getting to know the news media is not difficult. Call and ask to stop by for a get-to-know-you meeting. Do this systematically and cover all the local media. For a small insurance agency, one person might arrange all contacts. In a larger agency, different staffers ... for reliable, quotable sources of information. 2. Take advantage of anniversaries and milestones. The average agency probably reaches some kind of milestone every year. Let the world know about it! The most important milestone is the anniversary of the agency's founding. Celebrate every time a nice round number is reached: 10, 25, 50 years, and so on. At a minimum, send a press release and picture to the local media. If the agency is significantly older, perhaps 75 or 100 years, consider writing a brief history of the agency (a page or two) and reproducing a picture of the old days. You can do more than garner publicity. Hold an open house at the agency. Send clients a letter about the milestone. Print the brief history on special ...

... . Don't forget your Personal Lines department. Schedule a series of "box lunch" Web clinics on topics such as employee benefits or caring for aging parents. Personal Lines prospects and customers can eat lunch at their desk while gaining valuable information. If your staff does not have expertise in a specific area, invite subject matter experts to participate from anywhere in the world. Create a direct mail and print media marketing campaign around your Web workshops. Even if attendance is light, the fact that you're advertising this creative idea sets you apart from your competition. Idea # 7: Put a TV in your reception area. Not all agencies have or encourage walk-in prospects and customers. If you do, make the most of a perfect opportunity to communicate the value of doing business with your agency by ... of boosting your agency recognition. To create a "Business Person of the Year" award, begin by determining standards for the award and how you will determine each year's winner. All you have to do is contact the winner with your congratulations. Make sure you get the full benefit from your association with this successful business owner by featuring the award and announcement on your Web site and sending a press release to local newspapers. Idea # 10: Write press releases for the entire community. Press releases are a highly effective marketing tool that costs absolutely nothing. You can use them to promote an endless number of benefits for doing business with your agency. Potential topics for a press release include new carrier appointments, new staff, staff certifications, and an upgrade to your agency Web site. ...

... time. People jumped the Fortune 1000 ships in droves to land their little rowboats on big dreams. The rowboats started shipping their products, and needed to let the world know. They referred to their traditional marketing books, spent a little time on marketing strategy, and decided they needed brochures, a Web site that looked like a brochure (Web sites were all new), and ads: print, radio, and even online. But there were so many rowboats that the availability of this outbound media was limited. Prices went up. Investors poured in more money. Marketers' heads were spinning at the prospect of million-dollar Super Bowl ads. Then somebody woke up. The market started slowing a bit, and the return-on-investment (ROI) or cost of customer acquisition turned out to be ... tactical vehicles from which to execute. Let's discuss some of the strategic tasks, then a few of my favorite tactics: STRATEGIC REVIEW Market research — Conduct research to identify and validate the target customer, partners, competitors, and marketing vehicles. Then you'll know your customers and the competitive landscape. Build relationships with business development partners to help your cause. Branding — Ensure that your tag lines, press releases, corporate identity (logos, colors), branding attributes, product naming, and other branding components are consistent. There should be no confusion about who you are and what you sell. Stakeholders — Identify all of your company's marketing customers and how you'll reach them. Marketing to customers, press/analysts, the general public, local community, professional groups, and investors will each ...

... Web site? Great! Colorful graphics that seem to jump off the screen? Terrific! And the content? Uh-oh. Does your Web site feature your company profile? Statistics on your industry? New product information and the best use for those products? An easily accessible company contact? A Web site can be a great way to get your message out to reporters and editors in the broadcast and print media. It can, that is, if your message is articulate and additional information easy to get. After all, journalists should be counted among your customers and prospects. Their mention of your company or product in one publication or television or radio program is like a customer telling thousands of friends. You need to understand that the media is not a monolith. Publications and broadcast outlets look ... gave a contact to call for more information. Those were the products he mentioned in his article. If you want your Web site to be an information center for journalists as well as the general public, make it one. Remember, posting relevant, easily accessible content is the key. Here are some other things you should do: Establish a section for media. Some organizations have buttons labeled Press Room' or Media Center' where they post their latest press releases, quick facts about the organization, and more detailed information about new products or the industry as a whole. Update continuously. A reporter who clicks your Hot Product' button and learns about a 1998 release or turns to Fresh News' and gets a 1997 press release won't stick around-and has no reason to come back. ...

... in the press. Even no comment' may be taken as an indication that you're trying to hide unfavorable information. Use lay terms to describe events. Most members of the general public don't understand complex terms and industry-specific acronyms. If you don't use them, you don't confuse your audience. Use your Web site to convey information and receive inquiries from those concerned. At best, the media will print only one or two of your quotes. You can put complete information on your Web site that reporters and other interested audiences can access directly. Communicate with your employees. As stakeholders in the organization, your employees should be kept well informed. Use voice mail, newsletters, e-mail, and video to spread your message. Monitor news coverage for accuracy. Don't be afraid to refine or correct ... is best left to lawyers, judges, and juries to decide. Avoid saying no comment' or repeating the negative words in questions you're asked. There are ways to answer questions without repeating any negative words or phrases they contain: We can't talk about that aspect while it's under investigation. What we can talk about is. .. Don't risk having the negative words in your answer quoted in the press. Even no comment' may be taken as an indication that you're trying to hide unfavorable information. Use lay terms to describe events. Most members of the general public don't understand complex terms and industry-specific acronyms. If you don't use them, you don't confuse your audience. Use your Web site to convey information and receive inquiries from those concerned. At best, the media will print only ...

... is to get' you, even if it means misquoting you deliberately. This is a popular business view of the press. As a result, company officials avoid talking to reporters. When these same firms send out news releases, they're filled with fluff, puff, and hyperbole. Editors are interested in expertise and new ideas. Their readers thrive on cutting-edge issues. Communicating your story through both print and electronic media creates a level of credibility that can't be attained any other way. By failing to use the press, companies waste a valuable opportunity. 14. Never seek professional marketing advice and counsel. For some reason, marketing is often viewed as a do-it-yourself function. Who needs expensive marketing experts? Who needs strategy? Who needs a coherent marketing plan? Who needs quality copywriting for ... With this in mind, why do so many firms think they can beat the odds and send out stuff that's destined to wind up in the wastebasket? It's just another way to waste more money. All this reveals a lack of respect for your product, your company-and your prospect. If you have a good story, dignify it with a high-quality presentation. 13. Refuse to work with the press. The best way to handle the press is to view editors and reporters as the enemy. Their goal is to get' you, even if it means misquoting you deliberately. This is a popular business view of the press. As a result, company officials avoid talking to reporters. When these same firms send out news releases, they're filled with fluff, puff, and hyperbole. ...

... Web site? Great! Colorful graphics that seem to jump off the screen? Terrific! And the content? Uh-oh. Does your Web site feature your company profile? Statistics on your industry? New product information and the best use for those products? An easily accessible company contact? A Web site can be a great way to get your message out to reporters and editors in the broadcast and print media. It can, that is, if your message is articulate and additional information easy to get. After all, journalists should be counted among your customers and prospects. Their mention of your company or product in one publication or television or radio program is like a customer telling thousands of friends. You need to understand that the media is not a monolith. Publications and broadcast outlets look ... gave a contact to call for more information. Those were the products he mentioned in his article. If you want your Web site to be an information center for journalists as well as the general public, make it one. Remember, posting relevant, easily accessible content is the key. Here are some other things you should do: Establish a section for media. Some organizations have buttons labeled Press Room' or Media Center' where they post their latest press releases, quick facts about the organization, and more detailed information about new products or the industry as a whole. Update continuously. A reporter who clicks your Hot Product' button and learns about a 1998 release or turns to Fresh News' and gets a 1997 press release won't stick around-and has no reason to come back. ...

... in the press. Even no comment' may be taken as an indication that you're trying to hide unfavorable information. Use lay terms to describe events. Most members of the general public don't understand complex terms and industry-specific acronyms. If you don't use them, you don't confuse your audience. Use your Web site to convey information and receive inquiries from those concerned. At best, the media will print only one or two of your quotes. You can put complete information on your Web site that reporters and other interested audiences can access directly. Communicate with your employees. As stakeholders in the organization, your employees should be kept well informed. Use voice mail, newsletters, e-mail, and video to spread your message. Monitor news coverage for accuracy. Don't be afraid to refine or correct ... is best left to lawyers, judges, and juries to decide. Avoid saying no comment' or repeating the negative words in questions you're asked. There are ways to answer questions without repeating any negative words or phrases they contain: We can't talk about that aspect while it's under investigation. What we can talk about is. .. Don't risk having the negative words in your answer quoted in the press. Even no comment' may be taken as an indication that you're trying to hide unfavorable information. Use lay terms to describe events. Most members of the general public don't understand complex terms and industry-specific acronyms. If you don't use them, you don't confuse your audience. Use your Web site to convey information and receive inquiries from those concerned. At best, the media will print only ...